Drownings might open dialogue for beaches

Published: Thursday, July 4, 2013 at 8:19 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, July 4, 2013 at 8:19 p.m.

A football field away from the shore of Sunset Beach on Wednesday afternoon, Jay Plymale was enjoying the deep water he is so accustomed to. A strong swimmer but admittedly hard of hearing, he heard a faint noise amid the crashing surf.

"Help!"

Looking up, he spotted a man alone in the water.

"Are you OK?" asked Plymale, a 66-year-old from Kent, Ohio.

"No, I need help!" the man yelled back.

Easily swimming to the stranger, Plymale spotted a limp body floating facedown. Plymale immediately knew that Edward Galway, the man who was crying for help, was not alone.

Plymale grabbed a lifeless Maryann Galway and started swimming toward shore, telling her husband to follow. It took two minutes to swim 120 feet against a rip current and pounding waves, finally dragging Maryann to shallow water.

His rescue attempt was futile.

"I just fell over and lost it. I'm really in pretty good shape for my age, but I was exhausted," Plymale said. He had handed Maryann off to two teenagers.

"I held my breath and tried to hold her up. … I just wish I could have brought her in sooner."

Maryann Galway, 55, of Waxhaw, was one of three people who drowned at Brunswick County beaches on Wednesday, all in powerful rip currents that beachgoers were not prepared for or warned about.

Mitchell McLean, 54, a chief district court judge from Wilkesboro, drowned trying to save Maryann with Edward, who survived.

Earlier Wednesday, seventy-two-year-old William Nicolaro of Palm Harbor, Fla., was pronounced dead on arrival at Brunswick Novant Medical Center after going under in the surf off Ocean Isle Beach, officials said.

None of the beaches in Brunswick County have lifeguards to post rip current warnings from the National Weather Service or flags to warn swimmers of dangerous conditions.

"The waves were vicious," said Nancy Plymale, 65, Jay's wife. "I think this is our 29th year down here and I have never seen conditions like that, ever."

Nancy nearly drowned herself, she said, as the current came suddenly and without warning.

Nancy said she has repeatedly told Sunset Beach officials they need to post rip current warnings, yet Brunswick County beaches still function differently than their New Hanover County counterparts.

At Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach, the ocean rescue teams communicate twice daily with the National Weather Service in Wilmington to decide how dangerous swimming is, said Brad Reinhart, a meteorologist with the NWS.

"If people are going to the beach that day, we always encourage them to heed that advice of the lifeguards," Reinhart said. "We make sure that we do forecasts for all the beaches in our warning area and it's all available to people on our website on a daily basis."

The NWS issues their warnings based on the conditions ocean rescue crews tell them they are seeing, warnings that the crews do not ignore.

Friday's forecast shows a high risk of rip currents at Brunswick County beaches – higher than Wednesday's forecast – while other area beaches have a moderate risk.

Conditions can vary dramatically between the south-facing Brunswick beaches and the east-facing New Hanover and Pender beaches.

"We cannot go below what (the NWS) forecasts," said Simon Sanders, Carolina Beach's ocean rescue supervisor. "They're the ones that give out the forecast so we just stick to it."

That dialogue does not occur in Brunswick County, Reinhart said.

Officials can still check the NWS forecast online but do not post flags to warn swimmers or communicate beach conditions to the NWS to help them hone their forecasts, he said.

Reinhart said this stems from the fact the NWS does not have a strong relationship with any of the ocean rescue crews in Brunswick County.

"I wish it was lifeguards all up and down the coast but it's not available to all the communities," Sanders said. "(Flags) are a good tool to interact with the public. Most people understand red, green, yellow as far as surf conditions go."

"I'm not sure we're doing all we could be doing," Cerrato said, adding considering hiring lifeguards and putting up flags or signs should all be on the table.

"Like most governments, it's reactionary. But hopefully we can inject more things (into the community) to educate our swimmers."

Cerrato, along with Brunswick County Commissioner Marty Cooke, believe this conversation should happen among all beach communities in the county.

Those discussions would come too late for McLean, a person loved in his community and sorely missed already, said Starr Poplin, a long-time friend of McLean and a Wilkes County resident.

McLean, a judge for the past 15 years, leaves behind two sons – Jackson, 14, and Fin, 12 – as well as his wife, Beth, 50.

"He was amazing with his personality. A fun guy, a great smile," Poplin said of the man she thought was too tender-hearted to ever be a judge. "The major thing is it's a huge loss for those of us that knew him. … I've had my tears this morning and I'm sure they're gonna come again."

<p>A football field away from the shore of Sunset Beach on Wednesday afternoon, Jay Plymale was enjoying the deep water he is so accustomed to. A strong swimmer but admittedly hard of hearing, he heard a faint noise amid the crashing surf. </p><p>"Help!" </p><p>Looking up, he spotted a man alone in the water. </p><p>"Are you OK?" asked Plymale, a 66-year-old from Kent, Ohio. </p><p>"No, I need help!" the man yelled back. </p><p>Easily swimming to the stranger, Plymale spotted a limp body floating facedown. Plymale immediately knew that Edward Galway, the man who was crying for help, was not alone. </p><p>Plymale grabbed a lifeless Maryann Galway and started swimming toward shore, telling her husband to follow. It took two minutes to swim 120 feet against a rip current and pounding waves, finally dragging Maryann to shallow water. </p><p>His rescue attempt was futile.</p><p>"I just fell over and lost it. I'm really in pretty good shape for my age, but I was exhausted," Plymale said. He had handed Maryann off to two teenagers.</p><p>"I held my breath and tried to hold her up. … I just wish I could have brought her in sooner."</p><p>Maryann Galway, 55, of Waxhaw, was one of three people who drowned at Brunswick County beaches on Wednesday, all in powerful rip currents that beachgoers were not prepared for or warned about. </p><p>Mitchell McLean, 54, a chief district court judge from Wilkesboro, drowned trying to save Maryann with Edward, who survived. </p><p>Earlier Wednesday, seventy-two-year-old William Nicolaro of Palm Harbor, Fla., was pronounced dead on arrival at Brunswick Novant Medical Center after going under in the surf off Ocean Isle Beach, officials said. </p><p>None of the beaches in Brunswick County have lifeguards to post rip current warnings from the National Weather Service or flags to warn swimmers of dangerous conditions. </p><p>"The waves were vicious," said Nancy Plymale, 65, Jay's wife. "I think this is our 29th year down here and I have never seen conditions like that, ever." </p><p>Nancy nearly drowned herself, she said, as the current came suddenly and without warning. </p><p>Nancy said she has repeatedly told Sunset Beach officials they need to post rip current warnings, yet Brunswick County beaches still function differently than their New Hanover County counterparts. </p><p>At Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach, the ocean rescue teams communicate twice daily with the National Weather Service in Wilmington to decide how dangerous swimming is, said Brad Reinhart, a meteorologist with the NWS. </p><p>"If people are going to the beach that day, we always encourage them to heed that advice of the lifeguards," Reinhart said. "We make sure that we do forecasts for all the beaches in our warning area and it's all available to people on our website on a daily basis."</p><p>The NWS issues their warnings based on the conditions ocean rescue crews tell them they are seeing, warnings that the crews do not ignore. </p><p>Friday's forecast shows a high risk of rip currents at Brunswick County beaches – higher than Wednesday's forecast – while other area beaches have a moderate risk. </p><p>Conditions can vary dramatically between the south-facing Brunswick beaches and the east-facing New Hanover and Pender beaches.</p><p>"We cannot go below what (the NWS) forecasts," said Simon Sanders, Carolina Beach's ocean rescue supervisor. "They're the ones that give out the forecast so we just stick to it." </p><p>That dialogue does not occur in Brunswick County, Reinhart said. </p><p>Officials can still check the NWS forecast online but do not post flags to warn swimmers or communicate beach conditions to the NWS to help them hone their forecasts, he said. </p><p>Reinhart said this stems from the fact the NWS does not have a strong relationship with any of the ocean rescue crews in Brunswick County. </p><p>"I wish it was lifeguards all up and down the coast but it's not available to all the communities," Sanders said. "(Flags) are a good tool to interact with the public. Most people understand red, green, yellow as far as surf conditions go."</p><p>Sunset Beach Mayor Richard Cerrato wants to start a conversation about improving his town's warning system.</p><p>"I'm not sure we're doing all we could be doing," Cerrato said, adding considering hiring lifeguards and putting up flags or signs should all be on the table.</p><p>"Like most governments, it's reactionary. But hopefully we can inject more things (into the community) to educate our swimmers." </p><p>Cerrato, along with Brunswick County Commissioner Marty Cooke, believe this conversation should happen among all beach communities in the county. </p><p>Those discussions would come too late for McLean, a person loved in his community and sorely missed already, said Starr Poplin, a long-time friend of McLean and a Wilkes County resident. </p><p>McLean, a judge for the past 15 years, leaves behind two sons – Jackson, 14, and Fin, 12 – as well as his wife, Beth, 50. </p><p>"He was amazing with his personality. A fun guy, a great smile," Poplin said of the man she thought was too tender-hearted to ever be a judge. "The major thing is it's a huge loss for those of us that knew him. … I've had my tears this morning and I'm sure they're gonna come again." </p><p><i></p><p>Will Drabold: 343-2016</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @willdrabold</i></p>